CONTEMPORARY EURASIA IX ( 2 )
Saudi Arabia and its allies were upset over Qatar ’ s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and its ties with Iran .
Furthermore , in 2018 , the mystery over the fate of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the country ’ s consulate in Istanbul further deepened . A plethora of opinions , speculations , and accusations have appeared related to this issue from both sides . Therefore , bilateral relations have not recovered yet . 100
Overall , Saudi-Turkish relations stand out with ups and downs , conditioned by the events taking place in the region . However , an improvement in the current soured relations between Saudi Arabia and Turkey remains very unrealistic .
Israel-Turkey Relations
For many years , Israel and Turkey have closely cooperated in the spheres of defense , tourism , intelligence and trade . Turkey ' s inclinations towards the West have conditioned cordial relations . Moreover , Turkey has even seen Israel as its strategic partner in the region . However , Israeli-Turkish relations have also had ups and downs .
It needs to be highlighted that the revivalism of Islam in Turkey ' s socio-political life has shifted relations between Israel and Turkey . In 1923 , Mustafa Kemal established a secular republic . Nevertheless , contrary to the imaginary dominance of secular ideas , religion as a system of values , as a leading force in society andas a factor regulating family and interpersonal relations , has never retreated ( setting aside the claims of the descendants of Ataturk on its downfall and possible defeat ). Islam has always regulated Turkey ' s social value system in the public sphere and has always been an essential component of Turkish society . Thus , the reactivation of Islam should be seen as a rediscovery of the Turkish identity . 101 Islamists in Turkey adamantly oppose Israel and the Jews . In this regard , Turkey ' s Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan once said , " To be with Israel in the same community as two allied states working for common interests is first against our being Muslims , our humanity . To be seen with Israel side by side anywhere and under any
100
Carlotta Gall , “ What Happened to Jamal Khashoggi ? Conflicting Reports Deepen a Mystery ,” The New York Times , October 3 , 2018 , https :// www . nytimes . com / 2018 / 10 / 03 / world / middleeast / khashoggi-saudi-journalististanbul . html . 101 Vahram Ter-Matevosyan , Islam in the Socio-Political Life of Turkey ( Between 1970
and 2001 ), ( Yerevan : Limush Press , 2008 ). 24